Congratulations to Revanthi Balakrishnan of Round Rock ISD, TAG (Talented and Gifted) specialist and TCEA member since 2012. She has been named the 2016 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year by TASA (Texas Association of School Administrators).
Awarded for her work at Patsy Sommer Elementary, Revanthi worked as a systems analyst before becoming a teacher. Ten years after her career shift, Revanthi hopes her example will inspire others to move into education, saying “I hope that my rewarding experiences will convince people of underrepresented ethnicities to follow in my footsteps and enter this noble profession.”
Revanthi’s teaching is informed, in part, by her experience in technology. She realizes that certain skills will be crucial for students as they move from school to work, and she is determined to help them “be competitive in the global workplace.” She leads chess, coding, and robotics clubs on her campus.
But even as she focuses on the technology and problem-solving skills students will need in the future, she also cares for the gems from our past. She’s the founder of both the Shakespeare Support Group for TAG Teachers and the Round Rock ISD Shakespeare Festival. Revanthi is a marvelous example of the magic happening in classrooms all over Texas, and we wish her well as she competes for the title of National Teacher of the Year.
In addition to the recognition from TASA, Revanthi has another reason to be proud. Her daughter, after watching her mother’s enthusiasm for students and teaching, has now also chosen to study education.
